Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
As I took this prompt to heart, I found that whatever story I came upon enticed me to pray. As a man of faith I’m always drawn to pray when I hear or read a story. Either out of joy or concern, there always seems to be good reason to be in momentary prayer.
Peace lies in the heart of the believer Calm lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on ~ E.M.
I’m curious as to how the world became so adverse to diversity. We live in a world that’s comprised of different views, different, likes and dislikes, lets call it different colors. And it’s all this diversity that creates all the beauty that surrounds us. If you start to pull the various colors out of the rainbow it’s not as brilliant anymore. My prayer would be that we’d find a connection to what we have in common, and relish in our creative differences.
What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?
Now that I think about it, I don’t think that I’ve dismissed any of my parents traditions… and that makes me smile. You would have thought that I’d have discounted at least a few, but that’s not the case. Then again I’m really big on passing along culture.
Silhouettes sprinkle the horizon As geese flock down below Children observe as they gather It’s the only world that they know ~ E.M.
‘Za is the fourth single release from December’s Trioalbum. A sparse reimagining of the tradition trio setting.
This song has a metaphorically smiling lyric that should challenge the listener a bit. The title was actually from a magazine article that I had stumbled upon. I immediately recognized what I wanted to say, or maybe play with is a better explanation. I’m always looking for a way to stir up a listener’s imagination, and hopefully conjure up some emotional response from them. In this case, maybe even some abstract thinking.
Lyrics: Early in the morning, any time of day Any time’s a good time, any kind of way I can take it cold, any time at all It goes down easy, in the local church hall So tell me? Tell me, please? Won’t you tell me? How well do you know ‘Za?
If I had my way, I’d always have more More than may be normal, a note of folklore Some cry, ‘oh no!, you can’t do that!’ Preaching to the misfit, like some green-eyed cat So tell me? Tell me, please? Oh won’t you tell me? How well do you know ‘Za?
Don’t give me substitutes, don’t give me theories No hypothetical miniseries Just give me a slice, a verse or two Yeah, I’m a greek guy, but any version will do
I go traditional, I go New York I go with fold it, or a knife and fork I don’t go judging, so don’t judge me Just offer me a bite, and let my manna be So tell me? Tell me, please? Won’t you tell me? How well do you know ‘Za?
A combination of things brought this song to life rather quickly. It was a year ago February (Black History Month), when I was inspired by the poem, ‘As I Grew Older‘ by Langston Hughes. The softening of time touched a nerve within me and I felt the need to comment on it, and so I did.
Musically as 2022 arrived I had been taking a deep dive into the organ trio Blicher, Hemmer, Gadd and their album, ‘Omara.’ Recalling a season quite a way back where I played 300 some dates in an organ trio, this arrangement became an outcome of the many smoke filled nights from that different world. I truly believe that when we write, perform, and listen to music it seeps deep into our soul and often needs some time to brew down there before creatively rising up in a new form.
The studio process was seamless, it really was uneventful other than my rather large grin that continued to grow through the sessions. There’s no excess on the whole Trio project, just the essentials.
I should add as a clarification that I included the DR in the title, ‘The DReam’ to honor Dr. Martin Luther King.
Lyrics: A long, long time ago So long ago I’ve forgotten A notion filled my mind A dream divinely begotten But suddenly a distance appeared Vanquished, the dream disappeared
A long, long shadow Grew ever longer every day In the darkness I struggled Contentious in my way But nothing by chance impressed The dream dimmed and was suppressed
My credence, my steadfast credence Strengthened my enchanted moonbeam My journey will not be abandoned Providence will shelter the dream
A long, long tomorrow As long as the aim can see Good fortune will indwell me I’ve been reassured lovingly That in the cards works a love supreme A love that’ll ascertain the dream
We are by nature creative beings. We’re wired to be imaginative, to be innovative, and to be resourceful. Regardless of what we do for a living, we’ll do it better if we’re thinking as a visionary.
The title of this song was inspired by a random magazine article entitled For the Love of Vinyl, It grabbed my attention immediately and I found the lyric to be an easier than usual creation.
I had just read an inspiring Rich Kirkpatrick blog on our need be creative so I found myself within the creative flow very quickly.
We are created in the image of our Creator… so dare to be a dreamer.
Lyrics: Life is a bohemial existence With a disregarding tenet or two With non-conventional thoughts and reason And behavior that some might misconstrue
Life is a juvenescent sandbox Where building roams beyond confines Where boundless minds can wander Coloring where there are no lines
Welcome to the splintered aggregation Where odd resolve to get even Curious for the love of art And the courage to brave the unbelievin’
Life is a poetic string of ramblings Written in the margins of the day Multicolored snap-shots in couplets A work of acrobatic wordplay
Life is a whimsical pallet Daring you to conjure the extreme Releasing your inherent rhapsody For the love of art must venture to dream
For the love of art; write the unspoken For the love of art; paint the unseen For the love of art; voice the unheard For the love of art
Surf Trees are spiritual to me. I often walk the beach and absolutely love to wander upon them. I’m always surprised, and inspired when they cross my path. Nature never disappoints. To the discriminate eye they are a unique wonder and blessing.
This particular grouping was spotted during a pre-dawn walk in Melbourne Beach, on the east coast of Florida. Though the sun had not yet risen, first light was highlighting a whimsical nature at play.
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dree /drē/ verb ARCHAIC•SCOTTISH endure (something burdensome or painful).
The quest to live a loving and compassionate life can be challenging at times. Each day’s ups and downs are different, but the power of love is unmatched, and therein lies our journey.
It’s so gray when I look out my window Silhouettes upon the hill I’ve come to expect a winter’s night Even her kiss brings a chill
There in my mind rests a sight serene Misty green eyes that say yes The wind in her hair and the scent of spring Flowing down her dress
Dree, the sameness overtakes me Dree, the world’s a tired gray Dree, I long for something different I long for yesterday
I can recall when the faces were glowing Smiles that beckoned us near The expressions excited with all the unknown Before there was ever a tear
The ever widening chasms between each of us seem to grow daily as we continue to establish barriers between what we call acceptable, and what we deem objectionable. In doing so I’m afraid we’re dismissing an important narrative to our happiness. The moment we start to discount our differences, is the moment we start to cheat ourselves out of the things that can make our lives richer. Our ingenuity illustrates our individuality. We’ve got it all messed up. In our quest to get on with each other, we’ve told many people to get out. Instead of drawing the world a little closer we are drawing divisional lines in the sand. We’re not closing gaps, we’re creating gaps.
When we close our ears and eyes we are missing the beauty of an extremely diverse world. A world that was created for our benefit. It was created out of love for us. All of it’s beauty and splendor was designed by our Creator, for good! So what does it say when we turn from His ideals, from what He deems good for us, from His loving vision of our lives (Ephesians 2:10)?
Diversity does not demand division.
We bridge the gaps by putting aside our differences, by opening our eyes and ears to new and different sounds and sights. When we open our mind to new ideas evolution can occur. The natural flow to a united and loving world begins with a judgement free view of life (Romans 12:16). Thankfully we don’t all lookalike, and soundalike. That would be pretty boring don’t you think? Well thinking everyone should think alike is the same thing. It’s a very narrow view of a very panoramic creation.
So I spend my days first trying to identify, and then trying to bridge these gaps. The inspiration comes from my never ending idealistic dream of a loving united world. One that cares for others more than themselves. One that truly finds more satisfaction in the act of giving than in receiving (2 Corinthians 9:7). A world that differs a great deal from the one I currently seem to live in.
My platform for such change has always been music. I find enormous joy in touching the hearts of others through poetry and song. A tough message can be much easier on the ear when it’s riding the the crest of a memorable melody. or being propelled along by an irresistible rhythm.
Come, let us walk together Come. let us walk hand in hand Cone, let speak with one voice Come, let us walk in the light of love ~ E.M. (‘Come. Let Us Walk’)
My plea is one of compassion. If we start with a loving approach to our differences I believe that we would see and hear things with a new found appreciation. I invite you to join me in opening up a new world of inspiration. Pray for a cleansing view of the world. Ask God for new ears and eyes that would lovingly see and hear the beauty of diversity. That fresh mindset will bridge gaps both small and large over a period of time. A period of time when we can draw closer as friends and families… as our Creator intended.
Those of you who know me well, know that I’ve been using “Pray on!” as a farewell for twenty-plus years. So I guess it was only a matter of time before it became the focus of a song. A short while ago, I was meditating on Proverbs 1:33 when this evolved into a song idea.
‘Peace lies in the heart of the believer Calm lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one, who’ll pray on, so pray on’ ~ E.M.
It seemed timely when I first wrote it, and now today it feels even more fitting as we find our way forward through this time challenging season.
Though it hasn’t seen the light of day as of this writing, I’m excited about introducing it here in video form, and looking forward to unveiling it live in the near future.
Lyrics: Peace lies in the heart of the believer Calm lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
Quiet’s in the heart of the believer Grace lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
Fair is the lone star that smiles amongst the clouds Bright’s the tiny light amongst the darkness When love shines in the midst of judgment Hope is the one that’ll pray on
Joy lies in the heart of the believer Mercy’s in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
Works 